About the campaign

The Love Your Verge campaign raises awareness of the council’s work to increase biodiversity in verges as part of its efforts to make more space for wildlife in the county, whilst making sure junctions and lines of sight are kept clear for road users.

This year’s campaign will feature colourful roadside signage with bees and butterflies and the slogan ‘Making space for nature’ to highlight the importance of Dorset’s verges for wildlife.  

Over the past few years, changes to verge management in Dorset have meant an increase in cut and collect mowing – a technique which helps to reduce the soil fertility, slowing grass growth rates and creating a better environment for wildflowers.

Verges are important grassland habitats for wildflowers and wildlife and they cover an enormous area in the UK, spanning about 500,000 kilometres. Verges connect from one habitat to another and allow wildlife to move through the landscape.  

They are home to over 700 wildflower species and nearly half of the UK’s wildflowers grow in verges.  

Managed well, road verges have the potential to accommodate billions of plants and wildflowers, creating an important habitat for many of the UK’s animal species – from small insects to larger mammals, birds, amphibians, and reptiles.